Is Icewind Dale related to TOB?

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What is Icewind Dale? I feel stupid asking in the Icewind Dale forum because it would be like walking into a bar and asking what a beer is. Is it the next one up for TOB or a separate story line? Does it have Imoen and friends in it?

 

Icewind dale has almost nothing to do with the BG games. it works in the same engine and with the same rules, but that is about it. In IWD you create your whole party yourself, there are non joinable NPC's and the game is a linear Dungeon crawl. less Roleplay more fight.

 

The whole IWD series, 1&2 are set a long time before BG. I think 100 years or more, so you wont have any of the familiar faces. It is set far to the north, and is, as stated, a linear story. You progress from one dungeon to another, with little questing or RP. It's a different style of game to the BG experience.

 

Or in other words: IWD1 & 2 are just pure hack'n'slash a lâ Dungeon Siege whereas BG2 is a detailed, story-driven game. The only thing in common is the same engine, recycled graphics, and AD&D.

 

Well now...that's a bit harsh...Dungeon Seige was just a mindless click-fest. Whereas, the IWD series of games tend to provide you with very good strategic combat.

There were quite a few encounters in IWD2 which far surpassed anything in the Baldurs Gate series, in that, the scope of the battles was so much more epic! True, there is more combat, but the combat is FUN in IWD!! Trust me!

And yes, to answer the original question, IWD has absolutely nothing to do with BG series other than Infinity Engine and 3rd Ed. Ruleset (for IWD2)

 

Other than the infinity engine and the same continent which Icewind Dale and Baldur's Gate exists upon as well as the same publisher, nope.

 

If you don't have anything good to say, don't say anything at all! Lol, I was emersed into D&D through IWD1&2, which would make it AD&D... but it is totally different type of D&D game as it is mainly based on fighting and power, but you acheive that through very intruiging(sp?) strategy. The spells in my opinion are a hell of a lot cooler than BG spells and so are many of the graphics. Even though the storyline is linear, and can be a little slow at the beginning, its still a great story to follow, and subsequently play through.

 

But it is still a good game, i have ID + How and ID II, and i like it a much.
Only one -point, the graphics are a little bit dummer, but what the heck.

 

It's a funny thing that. It does take place before the time of troubles, since we're seeing dreadmasters of Bane. On the other hand we have this mod that imports some of BG weapons into IWDII, saying they were found even after the spawn of Bhaal ended his holy/unholy mission.
Might have someone mix the times together, when it seems the makers of the mods didnt know or didnt care about the time of IWD game.

 

The Icewind Dale games are basically Baldur's Gate with more combat. I'm sure you'll like IWD if you liked BG.

 

As it's already been said, IwD1 takes place something like 100 years before Drizzt even breaks the surface of the world. He's still down in the underdark. Crinshinibon and all that. IwD2 is around 60 years before Drizzt. And in BG1/2, you meet up with Drizzt a couple of times. So BG1/2 are likely 110-120 years after IwD1.

And the "side quests" of IwD are related to the main theme, so you don't get the epic branches of BG1/2. If someone tell you they lost a necklace, that necklace will be found along the road on your way to the next evil nest.

 

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Off-topic: The fact that it is that much time before the Time of Troubles, and that Dreadmasters are running raound, makes it even more odd, that you have to kill Iyacthu Xvim, and that Isair and Madae worship Xvim. He was spawned a bit before ToT IIRC...

 

Well, one Elf from IWD1, the one that stands in the inn in Easthaven, Erevain, is Xan's cousin. It is mentioned in a letter he wrote to himself like a diary, but otherwise, no connections I know of.

 

Baldur's Gate : 1368 DR
Baldur's Gate 2&TOB : 1369 DR
Icewind Dale : 1281 DR
Icewind Dale 2 : 1312 DR
Neverwinter Nights : 1372 DR


There ya go

 

Icewind Dale 1 I considered to be more artistic than BG2 despite the fact both run on the same engine. The music in IWD, IMHO, is well... maybe not better as the music in BG1 is superb, but still... the IWD music has more spirit and more appeal than the BG1 one.

Also, the graphics in IWD1 appealed to me more than that from BG1.

The areas seemed to be done with more work and more heart put in it, compared to BG1 ones or even BG2 ones.

Yeah, all this despite the linear course and largely collateral storyline. Not like that storyline couldn't affect my mood for the rest of the day in places like the Severed Hand fortress.

As some people have already said, it was far from mindless hack & slash. Most definitely not the Diablo / Dungeon Siege sort. After all, it had the same implementation of D&D rules as in BG1. Nothing like DS's stats - "melee", "ranged", "combat magic", "nature magic" - since when are those things stats, anyway?

IWD series is perhaps combat-driven and combat-oriented, but definitely not mindless. Despite the fact that all organised and complex systems, especially if they have to undergo adaptation along the way, create huge opportunities for min-maxing and other munchkinism that may actually make it easy for you to finish the game. Still, it gets it easy, but spoils the fun. An even bargain, IMHO.

As for IWD2, it lacks some of IWD1's appeal. For some reason, I didn't really like the graphics. I liked the music, but it wasn't the same. The storyline wasn't really so great as in IWD1 (ie IWD1' storyline was minimalistic but still great), and some parts are utterly boring and annoying.

The worst things that have been done to a D&D cRPG are IWD2's Cloakwood and Dragon's Eye exit -the freaking time loop. Boring and annoying. Vastly tiring and mentally debilitating. Not like the rest of the game is free from that - only the rest of the game doesn't typically carry so much potential.

The 3E implementation isn't bad in 3E, though it isn't great, either. No prestige classes, no epic levels, so classes had to be extended after level 20... and altered, compared to the books' original. Paladins and rangers end up casting 6th level spells, bards 8th level. No attacks of oppurtunity, to my knowledge. Some feats and skills have been changed... of which some (like Improved Initiative) don't work at all.

Maybe I don't regret buying it... and it surely was lots of fun owning as a solo paladin/wizard (lots of Screenshots of the Week on SP are from that one game of mine), and so I don't exactly regret buying it... but I would have expected more.

 

This isn't quite right because Drizzt isn't 100 years old yet, he's only in his mid sixties. All this takes place before Drizzt was born.

But other than that you are correct it takes place long before the BG series.

As for it being just a hack and slash game, thats true, some of the battles are cool though. It definitley helped me get a feel of the combat and spells before playing BG.

 

Drizzt was born in 1297 DR, so Icewind Dale 1 takes place 16 years before everyone's favourite Drow was even alive

 

baldurs gate 2 was *so* much better................... check the poll results for which is more eagerly awaited. ppl agree with me...... iwd is simply not as good

 

And what does that have to do with whether Icewind Dale is related to TOB?

 

you know, that's what I was wondering.